Accidental
by simply-aly
Summary: Clarke didn't mean to get pregnant at twenty-one. Bellamy did not mean to have a one night stand with his sister's best friend. Accidents happen, as the saying goes, and they'll have to come together to deal with the fallout of their actions. (Modern AU)
1. Secret's Out

It's a rainy afternoon in March when Bellamy finds himself running in the rain with two cups of coffee and a bag of doughnuts from Monty's—the café run by Bellamy's long-time friend Monty. Perhaps it's a cliché for a cop to be having doughnuts and coffee on his break, but his sister is addicted to Monty's delicious treats and it's Wednesday—he always visits Octavia on Wednesday.

He reaches her apartment building and hits the button for her number. He taps his foot impatiently as the rain beats at his backside, soaking his uniform. He curses the building for not having a lobby where he can do this exchange. Finally, he hears the buzz and opens the door, walks up a flight of stairs and down the hallway to 210. He doesn't knock, just lets himself in.

He is a frequent visitor to the place, and all three girls have grown accustomed to his random visits—with the exception of his weekly Wednesday visits. His sister, Octavia, lives with two roommates—her best friend, Clarke, and Raven, who moved in a little over two months ago.

He's about to yell to Octavia, who he can't immediately see, but hears her voice first. It's distant, but he can tell she's on her phone, likely in her own room. He makes himself comfortable at the table and sets up their meal as he waits. Eventually, Octavia's voice gets louder, likely because she has moved to the bathroom to get ready.

"I know you're not sick, Clarke. Yes, you're perfectly capable of going to the store and getting milk. Yes, it's probably good for both of you right now. I know—I know. Yes, fine, but hurry back, okay? I just worry, you know that. Yeah, bye." Bellamy hears Octavia's footsteps getting closer. "Wait!" she suddenly calls into the phone. "Get saltine crackers, too. Bell used to tell me all the time that it helped Mom."

He doesn't hear the rest of the conversation. He used to tell Octavia _what_? The only time Bellamy ever remembers his mother eating saltine crackers was when she was pregnant with Octavia and had horrible morning sickness.

Octavia greets him with a smile as she reaches for her phone cord and plugs in her phone. "What'd you bring me this time?" she asks.

Perhaps he's still distracted by thoughts of Clarke and pregnancy, but he's done this routine so many times he answers mechanically. "Same coffee, and a custard doughnut with chocolate sprinkles."

Octavia smiles. "Perfect."

Neither speaks for a moment as Octavia pulls her plate closer and picks up her treat. Bellamy tries to act normal, takes a sip or two of his coffee, puts it down before picking it right back up. He stares at his doughnut contemplatively, then he speaks. "Clarke's _pregnant_?"

Octavia's eyes widen. "You weren't supposed to hear that. She didn't want anyone to know yet." Bellamy just stares at her, his training taking hold—silent staring usually keeps a suspect talking if they're nervous. "But…yeah, Clarke's pregnant."

"How long?" he asks. "I mean, she must still be in her first trimester, if she's still got morning sickness." Even as a small child, he picked up a lot when his mother was pregnant with Octavia.

"She says it happened on New Years Eve." Octavia makes an awkward gesture with her unoccupied hand as she takes another bite of her doughnut. "You know, after she found out about Finn and Raven. Apparently, she hooked up with some guy…and now…." She takes a long drink of her coffee to mask how awkward she feels, but Bellamy sees it all over her face.

Luckily for him, she's too busy worrying over her own feelings about gossiping about her best friend to notice his reactions. Not for the first time, Bellamy thanks his sister's preoccupied nature.

New Years Eve.

_He found her crying in a heap on the floor in a corner of the apartment, the music blaring loudly so none of the party-goers could hear her. A part of him just wanted the excuse to leave the room without Octavia's censure, but another was genuinely concerned. He had known Clarke her whole life and never saw her cry—not even when she skinned her knees or fell off the playground swing and broke her wrist. Clarke Griffin didn't cry, but she was then, and he was worried._

_He guided her to her bedroom unnoticed, and eventually got her to spill the whole story. How her boyfriend was cheating on her the whole time and how she suspects it's because she wouldn't put out for him._

_Bellamy just held her as she cried. She wasn't drunk and, if he knew Clarke, probably hadn't even touched the alcohol at the party. He'd had one beer, which had been shoved into his hand by his sister when he got there._

_"I just don't understand…how could he do that to me? How could he do that to _her_? Raven told me they'd been dating for over a year. He'd only been with me since July. How do you just pretend everything is normal when you're dating two girls at once? And how could I have been so stupid not to have _noticed_?"_

_"You deserve so much better than that piece of shit," Bellamy remarked, anger rising up within him._

_They talked well into the night, moving on easily from the topic of her recent break up. He sat beside her on her bed and he barely remembered the party going on outside the door._

_He wasn't sure who kissed who first, or how their clothes were removed. Everything was moving really fast and he was so distracted by the delicious way Clarke kissed him and the sensuous way she whispered his name that he couldn't bring himself to care._

_He'd stopped then, his body positioned over hers, his hands pushing into her light blue sheets on either side of her head. "Is this what you want?" he asked her, because he had to be sure. She seemed into it, but he had to know for sure._

_She had nodded before pulling him close and kissing his neck. "I need this," she whispered into his skin before arching herself up against him._

_That had been all the affirmation he'd needed._

New Years Eve. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He wants to hit something. He wants to throw something. He wants to fucking _yell_, but he can't. He can't do anything, because Octavia can't know yet. If it's true, if he really got Clarke Griffin pregnant, then he has to do her the fucking decency of talking to her about it first. Even if he can barely contain the urge to throw his coffee cup at the wall.

He's not ready for a baby. He's only just recently stopped being called 'rookie' at work. His guest bedroom at the house would probably take the entire pregnancy to convert into a livable nursery. He's been taking care of Octavia in some capacity since he was five years old and she's only recently become somewhat independent of him. He _likes_ his freedom. He doesn't want to be tied down by a _baby_ for the next eighteen years.

No longer able to contain himself across the table from Octavia, he picks up his coffee and stands, making like he wants to look out their window. It's not the worst view, looking out over the campus the girls all go to, but it's nothing to be admired during a meal of any sort.

"How are your classes?" he asks in a half-assed attempt to change the subject. "Is Keating still giving you a hard time?" He then tries to listen as his sister speaks about her classes and her problems with her English 102 professor and cheerleading, but he's only half focused on her words. Clarke, his little sister's best friend since middle school, is pregnant and he's pretty damn sure he's the father.

It's at this realization that he breaks from his thoughts as the door opens and Clarke walks in. "As I assured you on the phone, O," she begins as she sets a handful of bags on the floor without turning toward the kitchen. "I'm pregnant, not dying and perfectly capable of going to the store four blocks away."

Bellamy's grip on his coffee tightens marginally as he turns to face her. He watches her put her keys in the bowl by the door and hang up her coat before bending down once more and grabbing her bags. "I got the crackers, because I think my mom also mentioned that they helped her when she had me," she continues as she turns around, finally seeing him standing there. Her eyes widen almost imperceptibly. Bellamy notices, Octavia doesn't. "What are you doing here?" she asks.

Bellamy stumbles then, unable to speak the words. All he can focus on is the fact that the blonde standing before him is likely pregnant with his child.

Luckily for him, Octavia remains clueless to the tension and intervenes. "It's Wednesday, Clarke; Bell always comes on Wednesday before my psych class." She looks at her phone then. "Speaking of which, I gotta go, I'm gonna be late."

Bellamy watches as Clarke turns away from him and walks slowly and decisively to the refrigerator to put away the milk. As she busies herself rearranging the contents of the fridge, Octavia rushes around the apartment gathering her school things. After a moment, his sister rushes over to him, and kisses him on the cheek. She whispers, "Bye, Bell," before picking up her cup of coffee and stuffing the last bite of her doughnut in her mouth.

In no time, Octavia's out the door and Bellamy is alone with Clarke. Clarke, who he slept with on New Years Eve. Clarke, who is very likely carrying his child. Clarke, who is still rummaging around in the refrigerator.

Bellamy walks over to her, rests his hand on top of hers, and eases the door closed.

Clarke backs up and jumps when she hits the fridge. She looks like a deer in headlights and he can hear her breathing really fast. Bellamy uses this opportunity to find her other hand and slowly moves her hand so that one is against the door as well. "I think we need to talk, Clarke," he announces.

Clarke's eyes widen even further. "I—I don't…" she falters. Suddenly, something shifts in her eyes and all Bellamy sees is panic. She starts struggling with him. Bellamy's so shocked by the change in her demeanor that he doesn't fight back as she pushes away from him and runs down the hallway.

The next thing Bellamy hears is the sound of Clarke puking in the bathroom.


	2. A Discussion

When Clarke exits the bathroom fifteen minuets later—half the time devoted to her beloved morning sickness and half devoted to her desire to put off this conversation—she finds Bellamy seated at the table. Opposite him rests a pile of saltine crackers on a napkin and a glass of milk.

Clarke bites her lip as she sits down at the table, partly out of nervousness, and partly to keep herself from crying at the thoughtful gesture. Her emotions have been so out of control lately it's been driving Raven and Octavia crazy more often that not. Not that she can do much about pregnancy hormones, though, which just frustrates Clarke more than anything. Control is important to her, and this mistake—this _baby_—has her so out of control and so out of her depth that she feels like she's drowning.

As her right hand reaches for the glass of milk, she risks a glance at his face to determine his demeanor. Clarke doesn't know what she was expecting, but the calm way he's watching her surprises her.

Silence drags between them as Clarke watches the clock on the microwave, mentally counting the seconds between each minute. Of course, things need to be said, but she honestly doesn't know where to start.

After some time, Bellamy finally breaks. "Is it mine?" he blurts out suddenly, a rough edge to his voice.

Clarke sits up straighter and carefully sets down the glass of milk, which is now half empty. Perhaps she's just overemotional and stressed, but she becomes immediately defensive. Clarke only then becomes aware that she's had her left hand cradling her stomach. "She's _my_ baby, Bellamy," Clarke very nearly hisses.

She's been going at this alone for nearly eight weeks now, having figured out she could be pregnant and taking a test two and a half weeks after her night with Bellamy. Yes, the baby is his biologically, but more importantly, the baby is _hers_, and she doesn't actually know Octavia's brother well enough yet to feel any sort of safety in associating her baby with him. However, Bellamy keeps pushing, and a definitive answer is inevitable.

Bellamy sighs. "I know the baby is yours, Clarke, and I would never even think of changing that in any way, but if it is mine as well—if I am the baby's father—I want to know, and I want to be a part of this."

Clarke goes still as she contemplates what to do, what to say. She stands up and starts pacing the kitchen and living room. Her left hand has begun rubbing circles around her stomach, a habit she's picked up recently when she's feeling stressed, as if to comfort her baby. She chances a look over to Bellamy, who is now also standing, but hasn't moved from beside the table. He's watching her, though—or, more accurately, he's watching her stomach. She takes a deep breath.

"Yes, she's yours. I'm twelve weeks," she answers him and, anticipating the confusion on his face, she continues, "I don't know why, but apparently it's counted by the date of your last period. In any case, you were the only person I was with at the time, so she has to be yours."

"She?" Bellamy asks as he picks up on her use of the pronoun.

Clarke shrugs. "I won't know for sure for another two months or so, but I just have this _feeling_, you know?"

Bellamy nods, and Clarke watches his eyes as they stare down at her stomach. There's this look in them, this glimmer of vulnerability that makes her heart beat a little faster.

She moves back to the table and begins munching on the crackers and after a moment he starts asking her questions about the pregnancy. She answers easily, having said the same things to Octavia and Raven, the responses are nearly automatic by now.

"The morning sickness should be going away in the next few weeks as well, and I can't express how much of a relief that'll be. I've gained only about four pounds so far, but the OBGYN says that'll start changing quickly in the coming months. Luckily, Raven and Octavia have promised to help me shop for maternity clothes when it comes time for that…." She goes on and on, answering his questions about the baby, but redirecting any potential inquiry that isn't directly related to the welfare of the baby.

She gets the feeling he's allowing it for the most part, but she catches these little flashes of irritation every time she subverts him from asking the question she knows he wants to ask her. She doesn't want him to ask it, even more than she'd never wanted him to know about the baby, because she doesn't really know the answer.

Oh, she knows what she's been telling herself, and she knows what she's said to Octavia and Raven on the subject, but this is different. Clarke doesn't think she can lie to Bellamy, but the truth is too complicated. So, in an effort to put off the question, she's talked about everything, including her morning sickness woes and doctor visits. And yet, it's all for naught, because he manages to break through her diatribe and blurt it out.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Clarke doesn't answer at first. Then, finally, "I don't know," she whispers. "I mean, at first, I didn't want to believe it, and then I was embarrassed. I always knew she was yours, and I couldn't believe that I could be so careless and that one time was all it would take—and yes, don't look at me like that, I know 'one time is all it takes' but I mean, really, what are the odds? Then I just…so much time had passed I felt that I had already kept it from you, that you would probably be better off without the burden of a kid, that it would cause so much drama and stress here. It seemed easier just not to say anything."

Bellamy is silent then, as if taking the time to digest her words. Clarke watches him carefully, cataloging his responses and critically cataloging every move he makes. He seems to understand her reasons, but he also looks hurt.

Clarke continues, "Don't get me wrong, I _wanted_ to tell you. I thought about it so many times, even borrowed Octavia's phone to put your number in mine, but I could never actually call you. I guess, most of all, I was just scared…I'm still scared."

She's about to cry again. She can feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and her voice at the end there went all high and broken. And, from the look of alarm on Bellamy's face, he knows it.

She pushes herself off the couch where they had settled themselves for this conversation and walked over to the cupboard. She grabs another glass and opens the fridge, pulls out the milk, and pours herself a small amount. Her hands are all shaky and she's afraid she's going to drop the glass all over the floor, so she quickly drinks the milk and places the glass by the sink.

She busies herself with reloading the dishwasher, which allows her to face away from Bellamy as a few tears fall down her face. She wipes them away discreetly and works to compose herself.

"You don't have to be scared anymore, Clarke," she hears him say behind her. "I wish you would have told me sooner so that I could have been there for you. I wish you hadn't been doing this alone for so long."

Clarke closes the dishwasher, wipes her hands on a towel, and sighs before turning back around to face him. "I don't know what I'm doing, Bellamy. I don't know how to do this!"

Bellamy stands then too and walks directly up to her. His hands grab hold of hers, and she relaxes at the warmth of his larger hands covering hers. "It's going to be okay, I promise. I've done a lot of this with my mom when she was pregnant with Octavia. And you have her and Raven too, they'll help. And then there's your parents."

Clarke blanches. "I—I haven't told my mom yet."

Things calm down once again as Clarke explains to Bellamy that she didn't know how to tell her neurosurgeon mother she had unprotected sex one time and managed to get pregnant. Her dad's been away on an important engineering project for NASA for months and has been out of contact with her since he left. And she felt this was too much of a burden to tell her step-father while he was running for public office.

"And then there's Raven and Octavia, who know, but don't _know_." Clarke's eyes widen. "Oh, God! How am I going to tell Octavia?"

Bellamy opens his mouth to, Clarke assumes, impart some advise on how to tell his sister that her best friend had a one night stand with her brother when the girl in question walks through the door.

"How are you going to tell me what, Clarke?" Octavia asks, a look of concern on her face as she glances between Clarke and Bellamy.


	3. Admitting Truths

Clarke's eyes widen as she looks over to the smiling Octavia, who is untangling a scarf from around her neck. Clarke's hand moves to rest on her stomach, a move Octavia's keen eyes are quick to pick up on.

"Oh my God! Are you alright? Did something happen to the baby?" so busy is Octavia fretting about, trying to get her coat off faster than necessary, he doesn't notice the way her brother seems to move closer to her best friend.

Clarke doesn't know what to say. she thought she had more time. More time to talk with Bellamy, to come to terms with the reality of this pregnancy. she's spent so much time lately ignoring the real issue. This baby—her baby—will be a real person; one who she will have to take care of. It's a real thing, not this metaphorical concept she's starting to believe she'd been treating it as. somehow she'd forgotten that, or ignored it, in all her worrying about if of how to tell Bellamy. now that she has to explain it all to Octavia, Clarke is starting to realize how real this situation is becoming.

Finally getting a grip on the situation, Clarke shakes her head. "No, nothing's wrong with the baby; she's perfectly fine." She hears Octavia's relieved sigh, and feels suddenly guilty for keeping this form her.

"Well, if everything's fine, why do you look so worried?" Octavia asks, concerned. "And what is it you have to tell me?"

Clarke opens her mouth to answer, even though she's unsure of what she's going to say, when she feels Bellamy's hand squeeze hers gently before letting go. Her eyes meet his.

"Do you want me to leave?" he whispers, gaining Octavia's attention for the first time.

Clarke shakes her head. "Look," she begins, cutting off Octavia before she can voice the question Clarke sees in her eyes. "Remember how I never told you who the father of my baby is?"

Octavia nods, looking between the two of them suspiciously now. "You said it was some guy from the party who found you crying."

Clarke nods. She takes a deep breath and walks over to the couch, where she sits down, one hand placed over her stomach. Octavia sits next to her, and Bellamy sits on Clarke's other side. "We talked in my room for the longest time, and then I kissed him."

Octavia's mouth opens, and Clarke sees the moment the penny drops. "It was you?" she asks, turning on her brother. "You were supposed to be there, but I only saw you briefly, when you arrived. I thought you just snuck out soon after that, but the whole time you were with Clarke?"

Bellamy nods, but doesn't speak.

"I was feeling so upset about the Finn thing, and he was there. It wasn't supposed to mean anything, and we never really talked about it." Clarke pauses briefly here and avoids looking at Bellamy. She doesn't want to tell Octavia that Bellamy left when she was sleeping, that they didn't talk about it because she never got the chance. "Then I found out I was pregnant, and I didn't know how to tell him, and I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you'd tell him, or beat yourself up over _not_ telling him."

"So you've kept it a secret all this time?" Octavia wonders.

Clarke nods.

Octavia turns back to her brother. "And then, I accidentally told you today, and you just, what, figured it out?"

Bellamy nods. "You said Clarke told you about New Years Eve," he reminds her.

"Wow," Octavia mutters. "I guess I'm going to be this baby's aunt in more than name only."

Bellamy snorts. "O, do you have to make this about you?" he teases playfully.

Octavia shrugs. "Okay, but on a more serious note, what happens now? Are you doing this together? You barely know each other!"

"I'm leaving those decisions up to Clarke," Bellamy supplies. "I'd like to be as involved as she'll allow, but it's her decision."

"And," Clarke cuts in, "we have known each other forever. Sure, we've never been close, but it's not like we're _strangers_. As for what happens next…I'm not really sure yet. I don't know what I want." Here, Clarke pauses and the siblings take the moment to look at each other, sharing information with their eyes. In a moment, when Clarke takes a deep breath and begins again, both pairs of Blake eyes are once again on her. "Umm…I have a doctor's visit in two weeks, on Thursday. You both can come, if you want. That's a start, right?"

Octavia beams at this news, and while Bellamy simply nods an acceptance, Octavia's a little more vocal. "You're finally going to let me come with you? I've been asking for _weeks_!"

Bellamy's eyebrows raise. "Who's been going with you?" he asks.

"No one," Clarke says.

Bellamy reaches for her hand—the one currently not on he stomach—and she allows him to hold it. "You don't have to do this by yourself anymore, Clarke. You have people who will be there for you…be there _with_ you."

Clarke smiles, her eyes watery again, "I'm beginning to realize that," she whispers, staring into his eyes.

Bellamy's hand reaches up to wipe the tears from her eyes, but before contact is made, they're all startled by the sound of the door opening once again. Bellamy puts his hand down, Clarke backs up, and Octavia's the first to face their third roommate. Clarke's eyes finally leave Bellamy's hand and turn toward the door and watches Raven walk into the room nervously. While she's starting to feel relieved after telling Bellamy and Octavia the truth about her baby, she's not sure she's up for telling Raven too.

Raven, however, after walking in on the three of them, takes one look around and says to her, "So, you've finally told them?"

No one knows what to say to that. Bellamy's looking between Clarke and Raven curiously, and Octavia's and Clarke's eyes are wide. "You _knew_?" Octavia screeches at Raven before rounding on Clarke. "_She knew?_"

Clarke shakes her head. "No…I mean—I never—I didn't tell _anyone_. How…how did you?"

"Oh please," Raven says as she rolls her eyes. "I crashed on the couch that night, remember? After we both dumped that cheating asshole? I saw Bellamy enter your room at the New Years Eve party, and I didn't see him leave until much later. So, when you told us you were pregnant and that it happened at the party…well, it wasn't that hard to put together."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Clarke asks.

Before Raven has time to answer, Octavia pipes up, "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

Raven shrugs. "Wasn't my business. I figured you'd tell Octavia eventually, when you were ready—Bellamy, too. So I let you have your space in the mean time."

Clarke begins to cry in earnest now. Bellamy moves to her side immediately and wraps an arm around her shoulder in a show of support. "I was so—so worried," Clarke hiccups. "I thought you thought that the—the baby was Finn's."

Raven comes over to the couch, crouches in front of Clarke. She picks up Clarke's hands and holds them tightly. "Oh, honey, everything's fine, you don't need to cry. And, even if the baby _was_ Finn's, I wouldn't be mad at you or anything."

Octavia, coming closer and closing the protective circle around Clarke, glares at Raven. "I _still_ can't believe you never told me," she whispers, making Clarke giggle through her waning hiccups. Octavia Blake, ever the gossip queen.

"I didn't tell you about Clarke's baby, for the same reason I haven't told Clarke about the hot guy you've been seeing lately," Raven replies with a smirk. Her eyes widen playfully as she puts a hand to her mouth in an overly dramatic fashion. "Oops."

"What guy?" Bellamy asks.

Clarke's eyes linger on Raven long enough for her to nod her thanks, glad to have the focus off of her for the time being. Raven smiles at her in reply.

"His name's Lincoln. He's an artist, Bell, like Clarke. He has a gallery over on 6th and he goes to the same coffee shop as me. He did four tours in Iraq before he stopped, deciding to pursue his art instead."

"An artist?" Clarke pipes in. "And what kind of stuff does he paint?"

Octavia shrugs. "Lots of stuff. The exhibit in the gallery is his wartime set—landscapes and such of things he's seen. I've seen his abstract doodles, but I don't understand them…I'm not sure if he does either, to be honest. And he's sketched me before, too."

Clarke follows along interestedly. "Sounds interesting, you should take me to the gallery sometime."

Octavia smiles broadly, and Clarke gets the feeling that she's been nervous about telling everyone about this guy.

"_Four_ tours?" Bellamy wonders, and Clarke thinks he's finally just come out of the shock of hearing this news. Octavia hasn't actually dated anyone since high school. Her and Atom had been a thing until Bellamy had threatened the poor kid. "Just how old is this guy?"

Octavia winces. "He's twenty-nine," she admits, and Clarke has to hold Bellamy's hand to keep him from pouncing on this. Clarke can feel the pulse point in his hand and his heart is beating faster now. "I swear it isn't like what you're thinking. He's very nice and gentlemanly, and we've only met for coffee in the mornings, been out for dinner a few times, and to a movie once. I don't even know if we're serious yet, I mean, we haven't even _kissed_—but even if we _had_, it isn't like you really have a say. I'm twenty-one now, Bell."

Clarke glances between the siblings, watches Bellamy fight himself not to lash out, to protect his sister like he's always done. Finally, he nods. "I'm gonna have to meet him, O."

With that pronouncement, Octavia smiles. "Great!" she says, clasping her hands together excitedly as she stands up. "I'll take you and Clarke to the gallery next week. Clarke can look at his work, and you can look at _him_, and everything will be _perfect_."

Raven smirks as she sits down again, a bag of chips in her hands. "Maybe I'll have to tag along," she whispers in Clarke's ear. "I don't think I'm gonna want to miss this."


	4. Getting Comfortable

Over the next five days, Clarke remains in constant contact with Bellamy. When he's on duty, they're texting each other, and when he's off duty, he's at the apartment. He goes home in the evening, after Clarke's promised she'll take it easy. He runs errands for Clarke when something needs to be done without her telling him to, he picks up groceries, does laundry, and cleans. He is constantly underfoot trying to make life easier for her and the baby.

If she thought Octavia had been hovering over her for the past month, Bellamy is nearly smothering her. It's kind of starting to get on her nerves, but then he looks at her or her stomach with this reverent look on his face, like he's already in love with this baby, and she can't find it in her heart to put a stop to it.

Octavia and Raven have noticed this, too, and have teased her plenty. On movie night, while watching Mad Max: Fury Road, they started the teasing again when Bellamy began texting Clarke in the middle of the movie. "I wouldn't be surprised if he started carrying you around when you get really round," Raven comments with a snort.

Clarke presses pause on the remote and throws popcorn at her roommate as Octavia giggles at the two of them. "And did you see some of the things he's picked out for her to eat? I'm pretty sure he's read at least six pregnancy books by now and wants to get everything right. He'll probably start lecturing you soon on how to properly be pregnant," her best friend adds unhelpfully.

Clarke flicks another piece of popcorn at Octavia this time before throwing her head back and letting out a groan. "He's only known he's going to be a father for _five days_, and he's already acting like an overprotective buffoon! I don't know if I'll be able to take five more months of this."

Octavia just snorts. "And it probably won't get much better after that. He's been like that with me since I was born, I'm pretty sure."

"At least he's interested in this whole thing," Raven says with a shrug. "Not all girls who accidentally get pregnant get so lucky you know."

Clarke studies Raven carefully. That statement was made with incredible nonchalance, but Clarke and Octavia are both aware that Raven's father was never in the picture. Clarke doesn't know much about Raven's childhood except that her mother was not a good role model, and often wasn't around, and may have been doing drugs or other illegal activities. Perhaps Raven wishes her father had stayed, had cared enough about his child to be around for her. Clarke sure does wonder how his presence would have changed things for Raven.

Then there's Octavia, whose mother never even informed her father after what happened with Bellamy's own father. Neither Octavia or Bellamy have talked about Bellamy's early years, but Clarke gets the feeling things weren't alright with the Blake family when Bellamy's father was living with them.

"Yeah," Clarke whispers in answer to raven's comment, a wistful smile on her face, "I know."

Clarke _is_ grateful to Bellamy that he wants to be involved at all. She hadn't known how he was going to react, which was why she held back the truth about that night from everyone, but upon reflection of Bellamy's character, she really should have known. He's been involved in Octavia's upbringing since she was a child, and Octavia's the most important person to him. _Family_ is the most important thing to Bellamy Blake. Of course he wouldn't reject his own child…even if it was conceived with someone he hardly knows outside of an acquaintance context.

"He's incredibly overprotective, but Bellamy's a good guy," Octavia says, putting an end to the conversation.

Nearly simultaneously, Clarke and Raven nod, and Clarke presses play once more.

The next day, after Bellamy gets off work, be comes over to the apartment as usual. For the first time since last week, they're alone. Neither Raven or Octavia are in the apartment, as they both have classes for the next few hours. Clarke smiles when she sees Bellamy at the door, and it's not just because he's plying her with coffee—decaf, of course.

"How was work?" she asks conversationally as they sit beside each other on the couch.

He takes a sip of his own coffee and sighs. "It's…" he runs a hand through his hair, and a worried expression crosses his face. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but the Commissioner pulled me and Miller into his office today. He thinks one of our own is dirty."

Clarke notes the scowl on his face and the expression used when he says the word 'dirty'. It's not quite contempt, but pretty close. Truly curious, she asks, "Dirty how?"

"Someone's been leaking information to Sydney," he replies. "Somehow none of our busts have turned up anything. Just empty warehouses and shipments after shipments of freaking coffee."

Subconsciously, Clarke looks down at her cup. She knows, though, that Monty's doesn't use Sydney's coffee. He imports his own. It's definitely more expensive, but his is so much better than that served at Sydney's Coffeehouse anyway, so it's totally worth it. Plus, the entire city is aware that the Coffeehouse is a front for organized crime. Despite the fact that no one has been able to prove it in over twenty years, the rumors are not so much rumors as unsubstantiated facts. The mob has its hands in everything in the south side of the city, numerous gruesome murders and other atrocities have been committed in the name Sydney. It is thrown around as this mysterious head of the organization, but no one has ever seen him.

"A cop's been tipping him off?" Clarke reiterates. "They have to be blackmailed into it. What kind of cop would turn to someone so dangerous for work?"

Bellamy shakes his head. "Or he could have been a plant. Started working for the mafia before he joined the PD. I just don't know." He takes another drink of his coffee before motioning to the box he'd brought over from the precinct. "And now Miller and I have been deemed by the Commissioner as the secret task force to find the rat, so I have files and files to go over tonight. I have to pour over the records of my fellow detectives, without their knowledge, _and_ do my regular cases."

"You're going to be busy," Clarke says.

Bellamy nods. "Don't worry, though," he tells her. "I promise I won't let it affect my involvement in this." he gestures to her and her belly. "We're a team in this, Clarke, and I won't let that change."

Clarke smiles as she leans against him. "That's good," she says sleepily. She's noticed that she tires more easily.

Bellamy puts an arm around her and sets down his cup before grabbing hers from her already loosening hands. He adjusts their positioning on the couch, and lays them both down for a mid-day nap. Clarke snuggles into his side and buries her head in the crook of his neck. She isn't sure why, but loves the way he smells. It makes her feel safe and calm. Within moments, she's fast asleep, one of her hands curling around Bellamy, and the other around her belly, just as Bellamy has one around her, and the other over her hand on her belly.

Clarke wakes up later in the same position when Octavia walks through the door, not expecting them to be sleeping on the couch at half past six. Clarke squints and scrunches her nose in confusion for a moment.

"Have a nice nap?" Octavia whispers, realizing that Bellamy's still asleep.

Clarke nods and tries to extract her arm from under Bellamy's to rub the sleep from her eyes, but Bellamy's hand tightens in his sleep, so Clarke does the next best thing. She turns her head back toward him, and rubs her face against his shirt before relaxing against him. She doesn't go back to sleep, though. Instead, she stays awake, staring out the window, listening to Octavia mill about the apartment as quietly as she can manage and Bellamy's deep breathing, and thinks about what comes next.

When Octavia does finally manage to accidentally jar Bellamy from sleep as she tries to get a pot from the cupboard to make spaghetti, Clarke and Bellamy readjust back to a sitting position. Bellamy seems reluctant to abandon the closeness they had shared while sleeping, and Clarke thinks she feels much the same way, but she distracts herself from that train of thought and turns to Octavia. "No meat in it this time," she instructs, "and extra mushrooms."

Octavia just nods, and whispers a 'sorry' to Bellamy when she sees that he's awake.

"So…Thursday," Bellamy starts awkwardly. "What time is your appointment?"

Clarke refocuses on him. "Four," she answers. "At Ark Medical. I have class until three fifteen, and then I'm rushing over there."

"I can pick you up after class and take you there," Bellamy offers.

Clarke thinks about it for a moment before nodding. It would be faster and less stressful for Bellamy to drive her there than to walk there by herself. It isn't all that far from campus, but it's far enough that it's an inconvenience.

"Bell!" Octavia interjects, "you have to pick me up too. I wanna be there with you guys. Plus, when we're done, I can take you to Lincoln's gallery exhibit afterward so you can meet him."

Bellamy and Clarke share a look, and Clarke is surprised by the look of apprehension on his face. She isn't sure if it's about the doctor's appointment or about meeting his baby sister's boyfriend. In an effort to help ease his worry, she gives him a smile and takes his hand. "Yeah, she answers for him. "Sounds like a plan."


End file.
